Convertible watchcase.



T. F. HATHAWAY.

CONVERTIBLE WATCHCASE. APPLICATION FILED OCT-5. 1914.

1 139 411. 5., Patented May 11, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS co.. PHDTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, l) c ,TTED %TATE% PATENT @FFTQE.

THOMAS FLOYD I-IATHAWAY, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ILLINOIS -i/VAICH CASE 00., OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CONVERTIBLE WATOHOASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May Jlil, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS FLOYD HATE- AWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elgin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Watchcases, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a watch case which may be readily and quickly converted from a type suitably adapted for use as a wrist watch into a type adapted for use as an ordinary belt, chatelaine or similar style of watch and vice versa.

One of the objects of the present invention is to construct a watch case which has mounted thereon oppositely disposed members, as pendants, suitable for the attachment of the ends of a bracelet or strap used in connection with a wrist watch, and to render one of the attaching members removable whereby the watch may be converted from the wrist type to the belt, brooch 0r chatelaine type and vice versa.

A further object of the invention is to so mount this removable pendant as to in nowise interfere with the proper housing of the watch movements or to entail any diiiiculty in the changing from one type to another.

The invention further consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view showing the watch case of the present invention arranged in a manner for use as a wrist watch: Fig. 2 is a view showing the watch case of the present invention arranged for use as a chatelaine, belt, or similar type of watch; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail of the lower end of the watch case with the parts arranged to serve as a wrist watch; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the parts arranged to serve as a chatelaine or belt type of watch and showing a closing plug inserted in the threaded bore which receives the stem of the removable attaching member.

For various reasons it frequently is undesirable to wear wrist watches and is at times more convenient and in fact sometimes necessary to wear the watch as a belt, chatelaine or ordinary pocket watch. Therefore, in order to provide for all contingencies the user must possess two watches, one of the wrist variety and the other of the belt, chatelaine or pocket variety. In the present invention by a simple arrangement the watch can be readily and easily converted from the wrist variety to the belt, chatelaine or pocket variety and at the same time present the finished appearance of a watch intended solely for such uses and without showing that they were originally made exclusively for a wrist watch.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, in this figure a watch 5 is shown arranged to be worn as a wrist watch and the watch case, as shown, is provided with a pendant 6 and a pendant 7 oppositely disposed from one another. The pendant 7 is associated with the ordinary winding stem 8 and each of the pendants 6 and 7 is of the swivel variety. Each of the pendants carries a bow 9 of suitable constructionoand each of these bows hold one end of the chain or bracelet, suitable snaps being provided as usual for connecting the ends to the watch. In the form illustrated this chain or bracelet is of the expansible link varietv well known to the art, although, of course, the form and construction of the chain or bracelet is one of choice and may be of any suitable and well known form, or in the shape of a strap.

The watch case just described meets the practical requirements of a wrist watch. Owing to the swivel form of the pendants the watch can be turned over while being worn on the wrist. This, of course, is essential to a practical wrist watch since the backs are often handsomely engraved or inlaid and are attractive when exposed and it is furthermore a somewhat safer method of wearing a watch, since the crystal is turned toward the arm of the wearer and is protected against breakage by striking against some object, furthermore in the construction shown. the placing of similar pendants in an oppositely disposed manner balances the watch case and makes it of an attractive and neat appearance.

As stated, he pendant 7 carries the usual winding stem 8. This pendant therefore is fixedly attached to the watch case. The pendant 6, however, terminates in a threaded stem 11, see Fig. 3, which stem is joined to the crown 11 This stem enters into a threaded recess 12 which extends through the watch case and into a block 13 placed within the case. The function of this block is to enable a sufficiently long recess to be formed without making a communicating bore from the outside to the inside of the watch. When it is desired to convert the watch from the wrist type to the chatelaine or belt type that end of the chain or bracelet 10 which is attached to the pendant 6 is unfastened and the said pendant removed by simply turning the crown 11 in a direction which will unscrew the threaded end of the stem 11 from the recess 12. The watch case will then embody but the single pendant 7 and will be of the ordinary and usual type employed in connection with chatelaine or belt Watches. It naturally follows that when it is desirable to convert the watch from the chatelaine or belt type to the wrist type all that is required is to screw the pendant 6 into place and secure the bracelet or strap to the pendants.

By utilizing the block 13 the thickness of the watch case at the point of attachment of the stem 11 is increased, a threaded bore can thereby be obtained giving sufiicient length of engagement between the threaded surface of the stem 11 and the threaded wall of the bore to insure the retention of the pendant 6 and at the same time no communicating opening is made from the outside to the inside of the watch which obviously would be objectionable as a means of letting dirt into the works. In Fig. 4 the watch case is illustrated and arranged for use on the chatelaine or belt type of watch, and as shown in this figure, if desired, a plug 14 of suitable form may be inserted in the threaded opening 12 so that the said opening will not show. The use of the plug as well as the form of the same is entirely optional with the manufacturer or user and the spirit of thepresent invention is not limited to the use of this plug or closure and in fact the invention as a whole is not deemed to be limited in any other manner than may be by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Ina watch case of the character described, the combination of oppositely disposed swiveled means for retaining the ends of a bracelet or strap and one of said retaining means being freely attachable and de- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the tachable with respect to the case whereby the type of the watch may be changed, substantially as described.

2. In a watch case of the character described, the combination of oppositely disposed swiveled pendants mounted thereon and one of said tachable and detachable from the case whereby the type of the watch may be changed, substantially as described.

3. In a watch case of the character described, the combination of oppositely disposed swiveled means for retaining the ends of a bracelet or strap and one of said means having a threaded engagement with the case to permit attachment or detachment as respects the case whereby the type of the watch may be changed, substantially as described.

4. In a watch case of the character described,the combination of oppositely disposed swiveled pendants one of said pendants being fixedly secured to the case and the other of. said pendants having a threaded engagement with the case whereby it may be attached and detached to change the type of the watch, substantially as described.

5. In a watch case of the character described, the combination of oppositely disposed means for retaining the ends of a bracelet or strap, one of said means having a threaded engagement with the case and a block secured to said case at the point of said threaded engagement to reinforce the case at this point and said threaded engagement permitting the attaching or detaching of said retaining means to change the type of the watch, substantially as described.

6. In a watch case of the character described, the combination of oppositely disposed means for retaining the ends of a bracelet or strap and one of said means having a threaded engagement with the case to permit of its detachment and attachment whereby the type of the watch may be pendants being freely atchanged, and a detachable and attachable member for filling the threaded opening in the case after the removal of said retaining means, substantially as described.

THOMAS FLOYD HATHAl/VAY. Witnesses:

EUGENE EDELSTEIN, FRANK C. KNABUSQH.

Commissioner of Patents, 

